Under the radar WSL fantasy game picks

Defenders

Ella Morris

This maybe shouldn't come as that much of a surprise because she is one of the best right-backs in the top tier even though she doesn't get the pr that the top 4 teams get. At 4.5m for a starting right back that plays as more of a wing-back, that can score, assist & beat most opposition for pace. Her starting price of 4.5m is largely based on her injury record which, of course, is something to consider, but she has had a full pre-season this summer for the first time in her Spurs career.

Spurs' defence improved last season as they conceded 6 less goals than the season before and the team overall scored 11 more. On a more personal note, Morris was the first women's footballer I wrote about on this blog, and she is one of my favourite players in the Spurs squad, so there is a decent amount of bias in this pick. But if you've ever watched her I don't think she's ever failed the eye test, and she is probably the most important signing of Vilahamn's first season.

Paige Peake

Ipswich's 2nd half of the season was much improved to such an extent that they finished fairly comfortably above the relegation zone having 9 points more than relegated Portsmouth. The key difference in Ipswich's uptick in form was that they managed to shore up their defence in the final 11 games of the season only allowing 12 goals compared to the 30 they conceded in the first half of the season.

Paige Peake is probably the standout pick from their defence due to her (in the case of last season) being on penalties and deep set pieces. 5m is a decent price for player that's likely to start most of their games, has set piece threat with her height and she has a tendency to launch the ball into the box when Ipswich have a free kick near the halfway line. 

Midfielders 

Wilma Leidhammar

Leidhammar is a really priced midfielder that is likely to be involved in most good things that Birmingham will do this season. I've written about her more in-depth recently, so I'll try to avoid re-hashing too much from that. At 6m she's very fairly priced for an exciting number 10 that can contribute to both goals and assists. 

If you like players that can find space in between the opposing midfield and defensive lines, finish on either foot and someone that has an eye for playing the final ball then Leidhammar is a great pick, just maybe not straight away as she has to face last season's champions in Manchester City.

Beth Hepple

I actually changed my mind part way through writing this as I was going to include Mollie Lambert who made a big move to fellow North East team Newcastle. But when I dug into the numbers a bit more, it was hard to ignore just how impactful Hepple was for Durham last season. Hepple is priced at a premium 7.5m but is a massive differential (like everyone on this list) at just 2% ownership at the time of writing.

Last season she put up a very impressive 8 goals & 4 assists as the team's primary source of creativity and joint set-piece taker next to Michaela Foster. Hepple and the aforementioned Lambert, were the best players in what was a pretty dour season for Durham and Hepple is likely to be their main source of goals again this season.

Forwards 

Beatta Olsson

This one is kind of a surprise to me that she has such little ownership since she was an absolute goal machine for Liverpool last season. Beata Olsson managed 6 league goals from 13 league starts in her maiden WSL campaign in what was a slightly injury hit campaign for the Swede. She can pretty confidently finish on both feet, carry the ball to a good level & she has elite movement in the box to find space for herself to finish cutbacks.

6.5m for an established goal scorer, with a near guaranteed starting spot in a team that has recruited well and quickly this summer, should make Olsson an appealing differential for any fantasy manager in need of a mid-priced forward. Her first match this season is against newly promoted Charlton who, for as good as their defence was at times last season, are fairly blunt going forward and a portion of their starting defenders are somewhat untested at the top level.

Poppy Pritchard

This pick is a little more of a wildcard given that Poppy Pritchard hasn't actually scored a league goal for 2 seasons but I am fairly confident that she will show her goal-scoring talents for recently relegated Leicester City. Leicester as a club are a bit difficult to predict this coming season as they have lost an alarming amount of players this summer, but Pritchard looks like a fairly low risk gamble for a young forward. 

Priced at 5m in the game, with a good chance of being a starter & less than 1% ownership at the time of writing (although also at the time of writing she's still listed as a Man City player) Pritchard could be a sleeper hit this season if she's allowed some stability as a starting 9. One of her better games for Durham actually came on the left wing against Southampton which, maybe strangely, showcased just how good her back to goal play is/can be when she was out wide. This aspect of her game could also add to her assist potential if her Leicester teammates can put up better attacking performances in the WSL2.

The WSL2 winger who could be in for a breakout season

Ava Baker

I try to limit highlighting loan players in the WSL2 as there are plenty of players at the clubs who don't always get the spotlight they deserve. But I do have some exceptions. Ava Baker is one of the youngest players to have ever scored a top flight WSL goal and has been developing since leaving Leicester in 2024 at last season's WSL2 champions, Birmingham City, with her also having a 6 month loan spell at a resurgent Ipswich Town. I think it's pretty fair to say that because she doesn't play for one of the biggest clubs, that she maybe doesn't have the same amount of hype (outside of Birmingham and Ipswich fans) that some other players in her age group have.

The Birmingham City loanee has returned to the Tractor Girls after a very bright loan move in January. Baker still got fairly limited minutes last season as she played just over 400 league minutes for the second season in a row. It's not really a surprise this past season as she had a resurgent Veatrikki Sarri & former PSG starlet Océane Hurtré This season it seems that she has a clearer path to a starting spot as I'd imagine new signings, Megan Hornby (signed from relegated Portsmouth) will take over the starting Rw slot from Brighton's new winger in Sophie Peskett, and Tegan McGowan (also signed from Birmingham but her contract ran down) will compete with Baker for the starting Lw role under David Wright.

Baker has got a real air of confidence and a direct approach to her game. She always looks to stay wide when the ball is on her side in order to facilitate 1v1's against her fullback. Her pace makes her a threat on and off the ball as she can be a target for balls in behind to get her in the final. I think she's a bit inconsistent in tighter spaces but this is still something that she can improve on with more chances to get into those scenarios. This is also influenced by her turning circle being some she can improve on as it can sometimes look a little stiff when she turns 180 degrees.

As a traditional winger that holds the width which can allow her fullback behind her to stay inside like when she would come on for Birmingham, her carrying is at a really good level as she often looks to take lots of small touches to keep the ball close to her and allowing her the time to choose to go down the line or cut inside. She keeps a very upright posture when she carries the ball which is really noticeable when she first receives the ball. This can then play into her change of speed when she often looks to push the ball ahead of her to really take her fullback on in a battle of pace.

One aspect of her game that really stands out is her defensive work rate. It's not just that she's a willing presser from the front, but she tracks back very well and will put her foot in when she's deeper on the pitch. Her being a willing defender and a hard worker will only continue to endear her to her coaches and the fans.

Her weaker left foot is actually better than I remember since I've gone over her match footage again. It's not at the level of comfort where she can comfortably carry on her left, but her passing and in particular her ball striking on her left foot is at a pretty decent level that still has plenty of room to grow with increased game time. This is still a big help for her since she has shared minutes across both wing slots and her only goal from last season came on her left foot after a nice flick to get past her defender.

The ball is played into space near the box w/Baker having her back to goal.

She then gets the ball with her body parallel to the goal.

She then drops her shoulder and pushes the ball on the outside of her right foot past the defender.

She's created the space to push into the box.

Baker then has enough time and space to place the ball low into the far corner in her left.

 

On the whole, Baker is a really exciting prospect that has a good chance to make a name for herself in the WSL2 this coming season. There are aspects of her game that will get smoothed out with reps such as some refinement to her first touch. But I have very high hopes that she will continue to develop with Ipswich. Her goal against Sunderland was very good, and I can also recommend her performance against Charlton (for Ipswich) where she was one of the best players on the pitch in the first half.

 

 

 

 

Abbie Larkin player profile

Abbie Larkin celebrating after scoring against Birmingham City as she points to the Palace bench.

 

Irish attacking-midfielder/forward Abbie Larkin has taken the leap into a starting role for Crystal Palace this season after struggling to break into the first team last season in the WSL. Since then, in Jo Potter's first season as manager, the 20 year-old Larkin has played as a number 10 or as a 2nd striker behind/next to a number 9. Her role as a 10 isn't to be a creator however. At the time of writing, she's the joint top scorer in the WSL 2 on 7 goals which have shown off her excellent ball-striking and her excellent movement in the box to finish off crosses.

Palace are a really well balanced side this season and can create chances from the sides or through the centre and can combine fairly intricate build-up play with longer, more direct balls into feet, which allows Larkin to be a part of moving the ball from the middle 3rd into the final 3rd as one of their key ball carriers. Her dribble success rate currently sits at 78% on a high volume where she completes 4.0 carries per 90. 

It's especially noticeable that when she plays next to Kirsty Howat as 10's behind a number 9, that when one of them shows for the ball, the other will stay higher to either stretch the defensive line by either making a run in behind for balls over the top or to make decoy runs when Palace move the ball quickly through the centre.

In a more conventional part of her role as a number 10 she is keen to offer a passing angle for her teammate on the ball, allowing her to pick the ball up in between the lines with her back to goal and then turn to face goal with space ahead of her. Her ability to take the ball with her back to goal is a massive part of her game as she can then burst into space laterally and give runners the chance to get ahead of her. She often makes use of Palace's central defenders' & midfield pivots ability to play line-breaking passes into central areas to give them an out-ball up the field to allow her teammates to create angles around her, almost like what a traditional target forward would do. She's an intelligent player that can open up play with her link-up when she's near the goal by drawing her defender in towards her before flicking the ball beyond them to a teammate. 

This the sort of area where Larkin plays her best football/tends to operate with her back to goal.

Aimee Everett launches the ball up to Abbie Larkin against Southampton.

Abbie Larkin takes the ball with her back to goal with space behind her and infield.

Larkin spots the run of Annabel Blanchard into space inside and lays the ball off. Nothing comes from the play but she managed to help progress the ball near Southampton's box with her hold-up play.

Larkin really suits Palace when they look to play quickly and in transition moments where she can make good use of her ball carrying and pace to break into space in central and inside right channels ahead of her. She is also often keen to make herself available to her teammates as she can either drop in or tuck in to provide a short passing option when the ball is near the inside channels in the opposition half. Her spatial awareness is a big part of her being able to find space for herself and does mean that she can ghost into pockets of space left by defenders when they retreat back to deal with the ball being progressed in deep areas of the pitch. 

Her defensive work rate when pressing from the front as well as being willing to track back in transitional moments show good signs that she can be an effective front-foot presser that can not allow opposing defenders time on the ball in their own half. She's also very effective when scanning off the ball in defensive situations in her own half to cut off passing angles and not allow gaps to appear behind her when Palace are in a settled defensive shape.

She does play a fairly one-footed style that's fairly reliant on her being able to get past her opponent with her right foot when either going inside or down the line. It's not that she can't use her left foot at all as she can pass out with it and control the ball, it's just that she rarely uses it to shoot, while rarely using it whe she has an opposition player near her. Her pace is notable but she's not explosive and does take a bit of time to get up to her top speed. While she is able to score excellent goals from outside the box, she really needs to clean up her shot map as she can be prone to shooting from range too often when she has other options near her.

Palace still have 6 games to go until the end of the season and look poised to either play in the relegation/promotion play-off game against the bottom team of the WSL. They also have a very real chance to gain one of those automatic promotion spots and Abbie Larkin's goals, as well as her general presence in attacking midfield have given her a real platform this season to make a name for herself this season.